Media Theory: Identity

Althusser's theory
Louis Althusser was a French Marxist (someone who looks to the economy and peoples needs in the development of society), he believed that things came together structurally from the real and from imagination. The philosopher saw ideology as the force which shaped a person and their consciousness, rejecting that humans were motivated by economic success. In his theory, media is affected and has an affect on the subject, whereas new media theorists argue that the subject can see meaning in the media.
Althusser has greatly altered the way Marxists view media.

In relation to identity, the representations of subjects are therefore affected by our own real knowledge of society. Althusser would see that the subjects/characters in media do not add meaning to the media.

Representing Identity
David Gauntlett from University of Westminster researched how people represent themselves, and how our perceptions of identity works. Using Lego, he got participants to represent thoughts through a visual medium, and asked them to use metaphors which enabled them to reflect on this. There were eleven findings:

• Creative and visual research methods give people the opportunity to communicate different kinds of information. People are able to think about this and reflect on it, this is because visual or more practical methods of research gives a higher sense of connection.
• Metaphors are important, so abstract feelings and thoughts can be easier through visuals, media or acting. In this way we are able to look at society as a whole through media as a whole.
• People need to time to reflect on society or themselves, this can cause the subconscious to "bring things to the surface". It allows an abstract experience to be represented in a mediated way.
• People have knowledge of identity, they know what it means and how it can be represented through aspects of their life. This proves that it's an important issue for society.
• Two theories that are commonly known (in simple terms). They were aware that they were constructing a narrative or story about themselves, and that there are two identities - the ones at the front and the ones which are hidden.
• Identities are generally consolidated and clear, they are not fragmented. People had a desire to be coherent and to belong to an identity.
• There is a desire to be different to everyone else, but still want to be part of society (a community). This is like George Simmel (1893), "On the one hand the individual belongs to a whole and is part of it, while on the other hand they're independent and stand opposed to it.
• Media studies is too must about media, people's identities are not controlled or affected by the media. We should not assume their identities due to media influence.
• The audience is complex.
• People do not generally think that media affects their identity, or their everyday life.
• Media has a role in thinking about identity because media productions enable us to think about life through frames and narratives. These narratives have turning points and themes which we can reflect on life with.
• Paul Ricoeur suggests narratives offer "a vast laboratory for thought experiments' becomes especially pertinent in the new media age".
• The study proved the tensions we suffer in everyday life, and what is obvious to people.

The main point is that media is based on archetypes. His book "Media, Gender and Identity" follows more in depth analysis, which would be beneficial for this topic. You can read the book here.

National Identity
An article on how internet usage effects national identity after the UN released a Human Development report in 1999. The writer argues that countries with more money are able to afford better internet access, and there is generally a higher demand for it. It is clear that even in the early days of the internet, people were able to see that it offered a sense of freedom, and was "a phase change" that would need "massive increase in political freedom". Again later on it is speculated that "Among nations of relatively equal development, it will be the freer nations and not the richer ones that adopt the internet fastest". There is also allusion to "potential for human development", combined with the freedom will allow new thoughts, new theories, the spread of ideas to be quicker and the acceptance of different identities to be easier.

Theodor Adorno
Adorno argued that capitalism fed people with "culture industry" products which kept people accepting and uninterested in politics. Unlike Marx, Adorno placed emphasis on the role of culture in the current state of society, rather than economics. He saw popular culture as the reason people were accepting and satisfied, whilst still having a lack of interest in overthrowing the capitalist system. Adorno now believes that culture industries create unsophisticated and sentimental products replacing more complex art forms -  resulting in people not questioning social life (and identity). There are a few keywords which he often used:

• False needs - created and promoted by the capitalist system, and replace the 'true' needs of freedom, expression and creativity.
• Commodity fetishism - social relations and culture experiences are objectified in terms of money, and we put value in the cost of something.
• Standardisation - popular media and music are very similar and have a structure.
• Pseudo-individualisation - when small differences make something appear distinctive, but they're not.

Products of the culture industry can be emotional but Adorno saw this as more of a cathartic process. In modern-day terms, TV and other media has prevented people from talking and questioning problems in their lives. Adorno thought lives were like a ongoing, repetitive cycle.